St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-10-13

hired men, but Malvina doesn't have
any hired girl. She and the Oldest
daughter, Is years of age, do the work.
That family kept on the jump, every
blessed one of them, from morning till
night.
"Malvina said she guessed I'd have
to look after myself considerable, for
Andrew had to be out working with
the men and Andrew said he'd take
me down to ScipiO, to see the village,
but the horses were all busy drawing
wood. | looked around for some pa
pers to read, but Malvina said they
didn't take anything but the Prairie
Farmer, and didn't get time to read
that. | thought perhaps I'd get a
chance to visit with them a little in
the evening. But abOut7 o'clock, just
as | thought they'd have to settle
down in peace for a minute, what did
they all do, but pack up and go to bed!
at didn't look just the thing for me
to be sitting around in the parlor do
ing nothing, while they were all work
ing so hard. SO [ politely offered to
help. And after that, they kept me
working like niger, till L was so
stiff and lame | could hardly move.
First | drew ice, then | sawed wood
and threshed oats, and the last day we
shingled the barn. Andrew said he
supposed city folks just enjoyed that
sort of thing, but he'd done it SO much
twas no treat for him.
81 was half asleep all the time | was
there, from getting up so early O.
mornings. Then L slept in room
that had four panes of glass out and
caught a wretched cold that lasted
three weeks. | stayed only four days.
| believe | should have been carried
away dead if I'd stayed any longer. |
asked them to come and see us, and
Malvina and Andrew said they hadn't
time to go visiting, but their oldest
boy was going to Dakota in the spring,
and perhaps he'd stop Il week or two
with us on his way out.
CATER | left Andrews [ went right
through to New York. There | put
up with the Rustlers. You know Ma
ria Blossom married Hiram Rustler.
He was only a dry goods clerk when
she married him, and everybody
thought she was sold; but he's worth
two or three millions now. They live
in brown-stone front, with some
thing less than dozen servants. Sty-
lish 4? 1 should think they were! To
my mind, they carry it rather far.
"They had breakfast at IL o'clock,
and they didn't half of 'em get up to
that. Then they had dinner along in
the night some time, and sat up till
most morning. I'd been getting up
so early at Andrews that | couldn't
sleep any after o'clock in the morn
ing. Then all the evening I'd be so
sleepy 1 couldn't keep my eyes open.
didn't dare eat hardly anything at
the table, for fear | shouldn't do it
right. | was always using the wrong
spoons and things. Then I'd slip out
and buy crackers and sardines and eat
up in my room to keep from starving.
"Maria didn't want to let on that
came from small place, so | hailed
from Chicago, while | was there. And
she always introduced me as a distant
relative and there | was her own
cousin Since they've got so rich Ma
ria's changed her name. Hiram calls
her Marie. That's what she wanted
me to call her; but it had sort of a
Frenchy sound, and | never could get
on it just right. l forgot and called
her Maria once when there was COM
pany to dinner, and she nearly tainted.
"They had german the night be-
fore l came away, and she wanted me
to lead Now L wasn't going to let
on that [ never'd seen a german. So
| slammed sick and sat up in my room
and played solitaire all the evening to
keep up my spirits. They had big
blowout. | gave one of the walters
dollar to bring me up a dish of ice
cream.
"They said they'd enjoyed my visit
so much and they'd love to have me
come again and bring you and COrny.
But guess we'll steer clear Of 'em at
ter this. They fly too high for us.
81 stayed there three days and left
for Concordia, on the Grand Trunk
road. There's whole nest of the |
Blossoms down there. They have got
a street named after them; Blossom
Boulevard they call it. l thought I'd
have grand good time among them
all. l pictured to myself it must be
Just like Thanksgiving and Christmas
the year rOund-family dinner parties
and that sort of thing.
81 put up first with cousin Sarah.
She married Caleb Kornbeck. Her
first husband was Smith. He was a
preacher, but Kornbeck deals in flour
and feed. Cousin Sarah seemed real
glad to see me, and I'd hardly got off
my coat and hat before began to ask |
all about John, and William, and Dor
cas, and LeOnidas Blossom. and Julia |